Leominster, Millbury pursue dog parks

Wednesday

Sep 4, 2013 at 8:04 AM

By Paula J. Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

LEOMINSTER — It seems there's nothing better to dogs than to run freely, off leash, while playing with their human companions. But with no public dog parks in Worcester County, giving furry friends the freedom they need to get daily exercise is a challenge for many dog owners.

Right now, Leominster and Millbury are the closest in Worcester County to establishing designated public dog parks on town-owned land. Millbury received word it will get a $12,000 grant from an anonymous foundation for the design of a dog park on 1.5 acres in an open meadow on Singletary Road. The Butler Farm Bark Park will sit on 50-acres owned by the town, with an anticipated opening next summer.

In Leominster, a public hearing is planned at the proposed site of a dog park near the tennis courts at Doyle Field, 206 Priest St., at 6 p.m. today. Once a site is chosen, the city will begin applying for grants, officials said.

Little action has been taken on a similar proposal in Northboro over the past year, according to Northboro Town Planner Kathy A. Joubert. The town still needs to choose a site, she said, but leashed dogs are allowed in the town's parks, and dog walkers use the town's trail systems "unofficially."

Websites — maintained mostly by dog groups — dedicated to mapping out dog-friendly spots, list Harvard and Bolton where there are no leash laws, as "unofficial" parks where dogs can play off-leash, as well as some state-owned parks and trails — though they are unfenced and may not have access to water.

According to a state Department of Conservation and Recreation spokesman, dogs are allowed in state parks and trails, but they must be leashed at all times. Additionally, from May 1 through Oct. 1, dogs are prohibited from any designated DCR swimming areas and are never allowed in any conservation-sensitive areas such as Walden Pond in Concord.

In Worcester, Assistant Parks and Recreation Commissioner Robert Antonelli Jr. said no dogs are allowed in any city parks. The website www.bringfido.com lists Elm Park on Highland Street to Park Avenue, and Boynton Park off Mower Street at the Paxton line is another place people take their dogs.

"They're not allowed in public parks, playgrounds, cemeteries or at public schools," Mr. Antonelli explained. "But there are people who use almost every single park unofficially to take their dogs to them."

He said it is a matter of enforcement, and officials can't be "everywhere, all the time." People found in violation can be fined, he said, and may face other enforcement action if their dog is unlicensed.

There is hope for dog lovers in the city, though.

Mr. Antonelli said the city is updating its open space and recreation plan and there are plans to form a task force early next year that will help identify possible locations for a dog park, establish rules and regulations and find a way to implement it.

In Ashburnham, the Parks and Recreation Committee recently barred dogs from the green space next to the bandstand in Winchester Park, after decades of allowing the practice.

There is a privately owned park on some five acres known as Tufts Farm Field in Grafton owned by Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, opened in 2010, where dogs are allowed off-leash. There is a $15 registration fee, but that is waived for Westboro and Grafton residents.

Tufts Farm Field registrations are handled through the Tufts Police Department, at 200 Westborough Road in North Grafton. People can register their dogs with the department from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

Tufts Sgt. Glenn McCune said Tufts Farm Field is a working agricultural field and not exclusively a dog park. It is a field used for growing feed and used for pasture by the school.

"However, we are happy to allow members of the community to use a part of the field for off-leash activities for registered dogs within an enclosed, approved area. People can also use the perimeter of the field for walking with their animals, provided they are on-lead at all times," he said.

So, for now, it looks like Millbury and Leominster are the dog park pioneers in Central Massachusetts.

Wendy A. Kovach, who operates a Pink Poodle kennel in Leominster and has eight dogs of her own, said as long as a dog park is regulated, it is a great idea.

"I think it is great for people who don't have their own yard," Ms. Kovach said. "It will help them socialize them. A tired dog is a happy dog — they are less destructive."

She cautioned that officials must be meticulous about requiring that dogs taken to the park are vaccinated and licensed, and are not aggressive.

"If a dog you are going to have for 15 years is socialized, it opens up your world instead of keeping them in your yard," she said. "I'd have no problem taking my dogs there if my girlfriends want to meet up, and a lot of my customers' dogs need socialization. It makes it a lot easier for the owner to take them places and go places when they have a well-socialized dog."

She said it would also be a great opportunity for people who live in apartments and it could lead to more adoptions from shelters.

"For larger breeds that don't have the luxury of a fenced-in yard, people can take their dog out for the day," she said. "I think now that the mayor has a dog of his own, he gets it. It will open up more opportunities for adoptions to take place."

Other Worcester County residents may still have to travel some distance to get to a dog park. Millbury Town Planner Laurie A. Connors said the town will likely limit use of the park to residents and those in neighboring Sutton. Leominster officials are still discussing the option of only allowing Leominster residents at its park.

Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaOwenTG